It is known that a determination of the sulfur, halogen or boron content of organic substances can be accomplished by utilizing an injector type burner as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,298,785. The injector burner is fueled by hydrogen and oxygen gas to disintegrate the organic substances of interest in an oxidizing atmosphere, in a closed water-cooled combustion chamber. The products of combustion are collected in an aqueous solution for subsequent analytical determination. (Wickbold Method, Angewandte Chemie (Applied Chemistry) Vol. 64, 1952, No. 5, pages 133-135. Publishing House Chemie).
To decompose solid substances according to this method, special burners made of quartz glass are used with a gasification chamber positioned in front of the flame. A specimen of the solid organic substance is subjected, either directly or in a laboratory boat, to a coking process whereby heat is applied from the outside while the substance is exposed to nitrogen. The flow of nitrogen conveys the volatile products of the coking process into the flames of the burner. Oxygen is then added after completion of the coking process so that the end residue is completely oxidized in a pure oxygen stream. (Heraeus Quarzschmelze--Prospect Q.--E 1/111.1, 1976) (pamphlet using quartz for fusing processes).
This known method is suitable for organic substances that do not contain any of the elements, e.g. alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, boron and phosphorus, which attack the quartz glass of the burner. To avoid damage to the quartz glass, the organic substance, including the mentioned elements, are brought into solution, if possible, and thereafter burnt up in an injector burner suitable for liquids. In this manner the elements which can cause damage to the quartz do not come in contact with it so that the undesirable recrystallization of the quartz glass is avoided. When specimens of solid biological substances are decomposed and contain the aforementioned damaging elements, the gasification chamber of the burner, which is usually comprised of quartz glass, is subjected to a damaging recrystallization or fusing action. Thus deterioration of the burner can occur after only a few decomposition determinations.
The external heat supply for the coking process is generally furnished by means of a gas burner guided manually so that effectuation of the incineration process depends to a large extent upon the skill of the operating personnel. The specimen quantity is usually limited to a weight of from 0.5 to 2 grams. Due to the reaction of the products of combustion with the hot quartz glass of the gasification chamber a considerable amount of the specimen substance cannot be utilized for its intended purpose.